THE BOYS MAKE AN ENEMY
Jack with his prisoner returned aboard the Cumberland, where the
lad turned the German commander over to Captain Marcus.
"Shall I go back to the town, sir?" he asked, as the commander
signified that he might leave the cabin.
"If you like," was the reply.
"Have you any commands regarding the prisoners, sir? Or as to
the manner of guarding the place against attack?"
"Yes; you may present my respects to Mr. Chadwick, and tell him
that you two are in joint authority until morning, when I shall
do myself the pleasure of paying you a visit. You will take
whatever precautions necessary to guard against an attack from
any of the enemy who may move against you from Boak."
"Very well, sir," replied Jack, saluting.
"Boak, as you probably are aware," continued the commander, "is
another small German fortress further up the river. I do not
anticipate an attack, but it is best to be prepared. You may
also say to Mr. Chadwick that I am well pleased with his work,
and with yours."
"Thank you, sir," returned the lad, and saluting again, he turned
and left the cabin.
He was over the side of the Cumberland in a few moments, and was
soon being rowed swiftly back toward Duala.
Several hundred yards from the little landing, his cars caught
the sound of a great hubbub. There were cries and shouts and
general confusion.
Rapidly the lad covered the intervening distance, leaped to the
ground and sprinted in the direction in which he could see a knot
of wildly gesticulating figures.
"Sounds to me like Frank was in trouble of some kind," he panted
to himself as he ran along, for at that moment he had detected
the sound of his friend's voice raised in anger.
Jack dashed up to the knot of men, all of whom lie now perceived
were British sailors, and as he saw his friend standing calmly in
the center of them unhurt, he paused on the edge of the crowd to
watch developments.
With a flush on his face, plainly evident in the red glow of a
camp fire, Frank stood facing a man. The latter, in height,
topped the lad by a good three inches, and even from where he
stood Jack could see that the man's fingers twitched nervously at
his side.
"I am in command here until further notice," Frank was saying,
"and while I am, our captives will receive such treatment as is
due prisoners of war. Do you understand that, Mr. Stanley?"
"Bah!" cried the other, whom Jack now recognized as an officer
aboard the Cumberland; "by seniority I am your superior officer.
I am not answerable to you for my actions."
"Aren't you?" exclaimed Frank, taking a threatening step forward,
a peculiar glint in his eyes. "We'll see about that later. In
the meantime understand that I am in command here and that what I
say goes. Molest another of the prisoners and you shall answer
to me."
"Is that so?" sneered Stanley. "And what do you think you'll do
about it?"
"Try and see," said Frank grimly.
"Do you think I'm afraid of you?" cried Stanley. "I'll show
you!"
With these words, he took a sudden step backward, and Jack was
able to see the cause of all the trouble. Crouching between two
sailors was an old native, black of color and grizzled of hair.
Stanley doubled his fist, and before a hand could be raised to
stop him, drove it between the old native's eyes.
Jack sprang forward with a cry, but Frank forestalled him. He
leaped upon the perpetrator of this inhuman act, and with a quick
blow knocked him to the ground.
Stanley rose with blood on his lips and evil in his eye. Quickly
he stepped back a pace, and a revolver glinted in his hand.
"You--you--" he stuttered.
At that moment the revolver was twisted violently from his grasp,
and, turning, Stanley looked into Jack's angry countenance.
"What's the meaning of this?" Jack demanded. "Would you become a
murderer?"
"He struck me," shouted Stanley angrily, "and he shall give me
satisfaction, and so shall you, you meddling upstart."
"So?" said Jack quietly. "What kind of satisfaction do you want?
I'm perfectly ready to accommodate you."
Stanley took one look at Jack's stalwart figure, fully his own
height and equally as broad. Evidently he decided he cared
nothing for a tussle with this opponent.
"I have nothing to say to you," he said. "But this fellow,"
pointing to Frank, "struck me and I demand satisfaction."
"Well," said Frank, interrupting. "You shall have it. Pull off
your coat."
"I'm not a common bruiser," sneered Stanley. "I will fight you
with revolvers at twenty paces."
"Enough of this," broke in Jack. "I will permit no duel."
"I do not want to kill you," said Frank.
"So!" exclaimed the enraged officer, "a coward, eh?"
Frank stepped quickly forward, an angry gleam in his eye.
"Enough," he said. "I'll fight you."
Again Jack started to protest, but Frank waved him aside and
turned to the men gathered about.
"Can I depend upon you men not to let this go any further?" he
asked.
"You can, sir," they answered in chorus.
"All right, then," said Frank. "Get ready, sir."
One sailor volunteered to act as second for Stanley and Jack
stepped to Frank's side. Then the two seconds met and decided
the details of the duel. The principals were to be allowed one
shot each. This was to be all, whether either man was hit or
not.
Before accepting the revolver from the hand of his second,
Stanley quickly drew his own revolver, and taking aim at a little
knob on a tree some fifty feet distant, fired quickly. The
bullet splintered the bark on the tree and the pieces flew high
in the air.
"Half an inch away!" called a sailor who stood near the tree.
Stanley turned to Frank with a sneering smile on his face.
"Say your prayers," he taunted. "They will be your last."
Frank smiled grimly.
"I heard a story once," he replied quietly, "about a man who
could hit a dime every shot at a hundred yards. But when he
fired with a loaded pistol pointed at him he didn't come off with
such a good record."
The principals now stood back to back. Each was to take twenty
paces forward--Jack had refused to make the distance any closer--turn
and lire when ready.
"Ready, go!" came Jack's voice, and slowly the two started away
from each other.
"Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen--" counted Frank, and at that
instant there was a sound of a shot and a bullet whistled over
his head, grazing the scalp.
Stanley, nervous because of the lad's coolness, had fired at the
count of nineteen.
"Twenty!" said Frank without a sign of nervousness in his voice.
He turned slowly, and aimed his revolver at the ground in front
of him.
Very slowly he raised the barrel of his weapon until it pointed
at the knees of his now shaking antagonist, then to his belt, to
his chest, and finally to his head.
Beads of perspiration stood out on Stanley's forehead. Then,
with a quick movement, Frank raised the muzzle of his weapon
still higher, and fired over Stanley's head.
Then he calmly replaced the weapon in his pocket and walked back
to where Jack was standing.
Having thus escaped what appeared almost certain death, Stanley
became bold again. Evidently he had not realized that Frank had
missed purposely.
"I demand another shot," he cried angrily.
"There will be no more duel so far as I am concerned," said Frank
quietly.
Jack walked angrily up to Stanley.
"He spared your life," he said heatedly.
"Bah!" replied Stanley. "He missed cleanly, and he's afraid to
try again."
Frank walked quickly over to his late opponent.
"You fool!" he said quietly. "Look here!"
Quickly he whipped his revolver out, and without taking aim,
fired twice in rapid succession.
Although three times as far away as Stanley had been when he gave
his exhibition of skill, the little knot on the tree leaped into
the air, and as it fell, the second bullet caught it in midair
and splintered it into little pieces.
Midshipman Stanley staggered back aghast.
"I could have killed you with ease," said Frank calmly, and
walking away, he picked up his coat and put it on.
"I--I didn't know he could shoot like that!" sputtered Stanley
to Jack.
"That's not so very good--for him," said Jack.
"Why, once--"
"Never mind," interrupted Midshipman Stanley, backing hurriedly
away, "I'll take your word for it. But, remember, I am not
through with either of you yet. My time will come, and when it
does--"
He broke off abruptly, an evil sneer in his voice, and walked
quickly away.
Now the sailors surrounded Frank and gave him three rousing
British cheers.
"You're all right, Frank!" they called, some of them slapping him
familiarly on the back.
Frank waved them laughingly aside, and turned to Jack.
"Any orders from Captain Marcus?" he asked, as though nothing out
of the ordinary had happened.
"Lead the way to your excellency's quarters, and I'll tell you,"
replied Jack with a smile.
Frank led the way.